MONTRÉAL, Aug. 4, 2022
/CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced a large-scale investment in
broadband infrastructure as part of the Ontario Accelerated High
Speed Internet Program (AHSIP). Bell is investing over $650 million in partnership with a Government of
Ontario investment of $484 million for this historic program.
Bell will deploy its all-fibre network to over 80,000 homes and
businesses in underserved regions across Ontario as part of AHSIP by 2025. Bell was a
key participant in the AHSIP auction by Infrastructure Ontario,
winning lots in many communities throughout the province,
including: Bracebridge,
Carleton Place, French River, Hastings Highlands, Huntsville, Kenora, Madoc, McKellar, Mississippi Mills, Nipissing, Renfrew, Sundridge, Thunder
Bay and Timmins.
"Bell is proud to partner with the Government of Ontario on this historic initiative to bring
our all-fibre broadband network to even more hard to reach
communities across the province," said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and Bell.
"In 2022 alone, Bell's capital expenditures will reach
approximately $5 billion, an
unprecedented commitment to invest in building better communities
across Canada, made possible by progressive policies at all levels
of government to encourage facilities-based competition and
investment."
Another benefit from its participation in AHSIP is that Bell
will also fully fund fibre deployment to an additional 37,000 homes
and businesses in the vicinity of its AHSIP build to reach even
more Canadians with this leading broadband technology. Bell's
award-winning network will provide fast and high-capacity 100%
fibre connections with Internet download speeds of up to 3 Gbps and
access to leading Bell services such as Fibe TV.
Enabled by a positive investment climate reflecting government
support for facilities-based competition and policies that
prioritize investment in our networks, Bell's participation in
AHSIP is in line with its past participation in government programs
such as the federal Universal Broadband Fund (UBF), and
Ontario's Southwestern Integrated
Fibre Technology (SWIFT) program and Improving Connectivity for
Ontario (ICON) program. Our
participation in these programs provides options for expansion in
rural areas and smaller communities that can't be funded by private
investment alone.
Connecting more
Canadians
Bell is undertaking its most aggressive fibre buildout ever in
2022, with plans to reach up to 900,000 more homes and
businesses across much of Canada with direct fibre
connections. By the end of this year, Bell will have invested
approximately $14 billion in capital
expenditures since 2020, including planned capital expenditures of
approximately $5 billion in 2022, the
highest amount ever by a Canadian telecom company in both a single
year and over a three-year cycle. These investments are going
towards our fibre-to-the-home, 5G wireless and core networks, as
well as our ongoing expansion into rural and remote communities, as
well as on boosting capacity and ensuring resiliency.
Connecting more Canadians with fast, reliable and high-capacity
broadband is at the heart of our purpose to advance how Canadians
connect with each other and the world, and is also a key pillar of
our Bell for Better ESG commitments. As part of these commitments,
Bell is expanding its fibre and Wireless Home Internet footprints
to underserved communities across Ontario, including First Nations, and
providing telecommunications infrastructure that creates jobs,
advances trade and contributes to economic growth.
For more details on Bell's pure fibre Internet, please visit
Bell.ca/Fibre-to-the-home.
About Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing
advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet, media and business
communication services throughout the country. Founded in Montréal
in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more, please
visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
Through Bell for Better, we are investing to create a better
today and a better tomorrow by supporting the social and economic
prosperity of our communities with a commitment to the highest
environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. This includes
the Bell Let's Talk initiative, which promotes Canadian mental
health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell
Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and
access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout
the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Media inquiries
Jacqueline
Michelis
jacqueline.michelis@bell.ca
@Bell_News
Investor inquiries
Richard
Bengian
richard.bengian@bell.ca
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain statements made in this news release are forward-looking
statements, including statements relating to our network deployment
plans and anticipated capital expenditures as well as the benefits
expected to result therefrom, including our planned investment in
broadband infrastructure as part of the AHSIP and our two-year
increased capital expenditure acceleration program for the
deployment of our broadband fibre, 5G and rural networks, our
business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities, and
other statements that are not historical facts. All such
forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor"
provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of the
United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks
and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions which give
rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ
materially from our expectations. These statements are not
guarantees of future performance or events, and we caution you
against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The
forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe
our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly,
are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by
applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this
news release, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise. Our network deployment plans and anticipated capital
expenditures and the benefits expected to result therefrom are
subject to risks and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that
our network deployment plans will be completed, that our
anticipated capital expenditures will be made or that the benefits
expected to result therefrom will be realized. The completion of
our network deployment plans assumes, among others, the
availability of sufficient equipment, labour and capital and the
value of our planned capital expenditures assumes our ability to
access or generate the necessary sources of capital. However, there
can be no certainty that the required equipment, labour and
sources of capital will be available with the result that our
actual network deployments and capital expenditures could
materially differ from current expectations. For additional
information on assumptions and risks underlying certain of our
forward-looking statements made in this news release, please
consult BCE Inc.'s (BCE) 2021 Annual MD&A dated March 3, 2022, BCE's 2022 First Quarter MD&A
dated May 4, 2022, BCE's 2022 Second
Quarter MD&A dated August 3, 2022
and BCE's news release dated August 4,
2022 announcing its financial results for the second quarter
of 2022, filed by BCE with the Canadian provincial securities
regulatory authorities (available at Sedar.com) and with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available
at SEC.gov). These documents are also available
at BCE.ca.
SOURCE Bell Canada